Artist development Archives

Feb 12

by Cathy in Artist development, photographs 0 comments tags: 3D, artwork, church, English village, landscape, photographs, railings, shapes in snow, snow, trees

Photography, Snow and the Creative Muse!

Do you love snow? Or hate it with a passion bordering on rage? Does a hit of the white stuff bring out your inner child or Demon! Maybe snow’s causing you chaos? We Brits still aren’t prepared for any significant level of snowfall. Much to the surprise of continental Europe and America who marvel at our unpreparedness in the face of a mere few inches of the white stuff The truth is heavy snow is unusual for most of Brits, especially in the lowlands. ! Scratch that, any snow is unusual for us! Maybe it’s the novelty, but snow provides masses of inspiration when it comes. As an artist, my major issue with snow is how to depict it without slipping into the twee. And the association that snow = Christmas. Oops, slipped up there! Or did I throw you off with the green Holly Berries? There’s plenty of scope for interest with snowy pictures. The snow’s texture, the icicles, the way trees droop under the weight of it, light reflecting and sparkling off the snow, outlines smoothed beneath a unifying blanket. But how to create the image? One technique I employ is photography. With digital cameras much of the […]

Feb 02

by Cathy in Abstracts, Artist development 0 comments tags: abstract paintings, Abstracts, Dome, Greenwich, London, Millennium Dome, O2, Painting, paintings, urban landscape

Architectural Abstract Paintings – Greenwich bound.

Did you know Abstract paintings are often based on reality? Most people see abstract paintings as a series of random marks, but if you spend any time looking you’ll realise many are more representational than you imagine. You could argue that any form of painting is an abstract in that it has taken an object and made something of it that’s not the real thing. Depending in what you define as a “real thing”. A photograph might look like a building but you can’t live in it. So which is real? They both exist in reality but you couldn’t pass the photograph off as a genuine building. Google’s definition of Abstract is “relating to or denoting art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but rather seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, colours, and textures.” That’s one of many definitions. The trouble is, there’s a very fluid line between reality and abstraction and it could fuel many hours of debate, which I don’t have time for here. Another time, perhaps. Personally I waver between the 2 ends of the spectrum. Abstracts allow you to play with rules and perceptions whereas the more representational angle paints what you see. […]

Jan 24

by Cathy in Artist development 2 comments tags: architecture, buildings, Contemporary Art, Manchester, Manchester buildings, mixed media, New artwork, Piccadilly station

Abstract Painting – Journey Begins 2

What is an abstract Painting? What do you think of when you hear the word abstract? Does you conjour up images of Jackson Pollock,s drippy or Mark Rothko squares? Or do you imagine something closer to reality? Pablo Picaso’s cubism paintings perhaps? There’s no one size fits all with abstracts. You can have pictures that are just a little abstract. Based on reality, they look like something but they are still abstracts. There has been an attempt to use an existing object, scene or person to begin a process which has resulted in the painting. To splodges of paint, lines or blocks of colour. This is where I’ve settled, architectural abstracts. It suits me. One thing I’ve always found though. The best abstract paintings abide by a set of rules. It may be limiting the colour palette. Or dripping the paint or only using angular shapes. Barbara Hepworth’s sculptures applied the “Less is More” rule. There are many rules you can use. If you want abstracts to work, it’s not a case of just splashing colour on a canvas, throwing things together or carving as you fancy. So take your pick and make your choice. Spending time deciding what is […]

Jan 17

by Cathy in Abstracts, Artist development 0 comments tags: churches, colours, oil pastel, semi abstract, tissue paper, window

Stupid things done in the name of art – Number 1

Do you have an obsession? You know what I mean, a “casual” mention causes you loved ones to groan because they expect you to talk for hours! Or they keep you away from certain shops because you’ll spend your life savings if not controlled? Like most artist’s, mine is art materials. I managed to keep a lid on things by keeping to watercolour, pastel, oil and acrylic! That was fine…I had all I needed and just topped things up when they ran out! But then I started mixed media painting, and discovered so many more things I “needed”. Like the oil pastels for this one… Working with large canvases, struggling with a field easel for a year. using string to hold the legs together. I needed a studio easel. My limited budget was a problem, I wasn’t selling much work at the time. Visiting London one day, I explored an Art shop near Trafalgar square. I was specifically looking for liquid acrylics, but also decided to check out easels. They had one and I could afford it but they didn’t have the acrylics I needed. However, their Soho store did and was “just around the corner”. Which was true, or […]

Jan 16

by Cathy in Art, Artist development, landscape 0 comments tags: buildings, chapel, green, landscape, old buildings, sky., trees, watercolours

Abstract vs Realism – Which is better?

Are you a fan of abstract art? Or maybe you prefer something more understandable. You like art that you can tell what it is? When I started out as an artist Representational Art was my thing Happily, creating realistic portraits and scenes Like this one of Henton Mission Room at the marvelous Chiltern Open Air Museum – a museum of buildings no less. I have a confession to make, I used to hate abstract art. Understanding abstracts, especially paintings such a Guernica, was a struggle. I was quite happy to state my opinion that abstracts were rubbish. Until someone explained to me what Picaso was trying to demonstrate. Suddenly it clicked. How can you paint intangible things like emotion without abstraction? Sure, you can paint people in emotional states, but not emotion itself. So I started experimenting with my own abstracts, like this one. The more I did, the more I realised representation is too traditional for me. Don’t get me wrong, representational looks good. It’s just restricted. You either paint what is there, create a photograph like realism. Or you develop a degree of abstraction and give yourself more freedom to express yourself. You are free to break the […]

Jan 02

by Cathy in Artist development 0 comments tags: Art ideas, Art inspiration, inspiration, Misty Thames, River Thames

Misty Thames – Inspiration to create a painting.

Do you need inspiration to create? I’m often asked where I find my inspiration. The short answer is everywhere. There’s a marvelous line from Chuck Close “Inspiration is for Amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work.” People tell me how they only paint when they are inspired. The trouble with this idea is that inspiration can come at anytime, and if you don’t capture the idea at the time, it’s lost. Ever laid in bed at night and come up with a fantastic idea, only to have forgotten it in the morning? Or, how about this you have a fantastic idea, and try to create it, but it just doesn’t come out as well as you imagine it should? Then you’re discouraged and do nothing for months? In other words, you either fail to capture the moment or the execution fails and you give up. Creativity is like running a marathon. You have to train and eat well for months before the big day. Miss the odd day and you’ll probably be OK. Start running on the day of the marathon and you’ll fail. The secret to inspiration is to keep doing. The more you […]